Saturday, May 14, 2011

DeMatteis' admitted in an interview that he never bothered to read up on Booster when he wrote the character in JLI. Which explains why the subject of his sister and Skeets never came up. Or even why they rarely referred to him as anything other than Booster. I know they haven't written much of Michelle but what they have written hasn't been flattering.

"I will not be manipulated. I will not be treated like a precious trinket that's easy to break. And I won't have my life dictated by control freaks who won't let me make my own decisions."-Michelle Carter(written by Dan Jurgens.)

...And she's made a lifechanging decision for her brother and manipulated him into accepting it. *Sigh.* Michelle under Giffin and DeMatteis is nothing like her previous self. She comes across like their standard sitcom woman taking control of a situation that she really has no call to judge. She doesn't know where the little girl is from, if she actually has family left (#4) or even if they can support a kid with everything that's going on. We are never given a reason for why Michelle wants to keep Rani other than her being a "poor little thing." It's never explained why Michelle suddenly wants to be a mother figure. Her attitude makes her look like she's permanently pissed off and just making this choice because her hapless brother doesn't want to.

I mean "forever and ever"? What sort of person makes that kind of statement to a child their just meeting? One that Booster briefly hints at being traumatized? I realize that Michelle could be trying to overcompensate because of their childhood but it doesn't read like that. And shouldn't she understand that Booster would have issues with parenthood given his abandonment problems with their dad? Saying that no one is ready for parenthood until it happens really is an odd statement from someone who's father left when they were four.

Why would Michelle pressure her brother into making a life changing choice she knows he has no time for? She literally guilt him into keeping Rani in front of the kid. Booster claims at one point that Michelle makes a good parent but most of the time she's promising the girl goodies or insulting her brother in front of her. Rani doesn't get punished for nearly destroying time and making them get worried sick but she gets in trouble after Michelles' advise for using the Goldstar uniform almost gets them killed? Both of those times Rani got in trouble because Michelle (the only one not actively involved in the mission) wasn't watching her. Think about it, this is a place with time machines, weapons and power suits. If you have to stay there then you should keep an eye on the kid.

To make matters worse Michelle isn't supportive or understanding of Booster. She mainly orders him around when she's capable of doing things herself. Brow beats him and is uncaring when he mentions a female prisoner tried to assault him in a sexual nature. There's also insensitivity about his dead best friend, his desire to catch said friends' murderer and his freaking job that provided a roof over their heads. (#5) I really don't get what they were trying to do with her character because it's not funny.

This is the woman who forgave her brother for shaming the family with his scandal. That gave up everything to save him and return to an unknown era with him. That forgave him for being overprotective and lying to her. That didn't blame him for not saving her boyfriend. Why would she suddenly act like this? Why would she be this furious with him when she didn't even act like this when their mom kicked him out of the house? She's lived in the past long enough with Drew to get an idea of how things work so she shouldn't be "new to this era" like they suggest. While certain things might of slipped her notice she wouldn't be dense enough to overlook Rip tazering Booster to assume it wasn't serious especially after Rip told her it was. Does Michelle make jokes at her brothers' expense? Yes, but their teasing not condensing and cruel.

#4 Looks like Michelle was wrong since someone was looking for Rani.

#5 Yeah, Booster doesn't get paid for helping Rip but Michelle and Rani are living at the time bunker. Michelle even asks Rip for money. She barely helps out with the mission, doesn't have a job but expects her brother to drop everything because she wants to keep Rani? Sorry, I don't mind her staying there if it's just her but this? If she really wants to have a child stay there she should be the one making more of an effort. She knew about the mission ever since Rip saved her and has more free time than the others. This isn't the same thing as the twins trying to pull their money for their moms' operation, Michelle took on the responsibility when she decided they were keeping Rani. Not saying she has to do it by herself but fair is fair. Even aimlessly traveling with Drew she tried to get a job to help support them.